Furniture spring seat



c. c. MEUTscH 2,026,843

FURNITURE SPRING SEAT Jan. 7, 1936.

3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed vJune 14, 1952 A TTORNEYS Jan.7,1936. n C QMEUTSCH 2,026,843`

FURNITURE SPRING SEAT Filed June 14, 1932 5 sheets-smeet 2 By l Wok awa/w A TTORNE YS Jan. 1, 1936. C. C. MEUTSCH 2,026,843

FURNITURE SPRING SEAT Filed June` 14, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 `20 manner.

Patented Jan. 7, 1936 PATENT OFFICE l 2,026,843 FURNITURE SPRING SEAT charles o. Meutseh, Buffalo, N. Y. d

ApplioationJune 14, 1932, Serial No. 617,144

' 4 Claims.

'Ifhis invention relates to a cushion or spring suspension for chairs, davenports and the like and more particularly to a spring suspension having a vertically movable, resilient frame arranged l Within and resiliently connected to the main frame of the chair (or other article offurniture).

'Ihe principal object of the invention is to provide a spring suspension in which resilience is obtained by the use of a plurality of metal Springs, a number of sets of which act in series with each other, so as to enable one set of springs to softly oppose very light external loadings, and atl the same time to back this soft set of springs by a second and a third set of Springs (both of ll the helical and elastic bar types) whereby intermediate and heavy loads are also resiliently supported without possibility of "striking bottom.

Another object of the invention is to obtain such a resilient movement in a smooth and noiseless A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved and simple means of securing the hour-glass shaped cushion springs Ato the sub or movable frame. Numerousother y `objects of the invention and practical solutions V2li thereof are disclosed in dete in the herein patent 35 Fig. 3 is an enlarged, vertical, fragmentary Sec.

, `tion through one side of the chair'taken on line 343, Fig. l. f

Fig. 4 is an enlarged perspective ofone of the 4s heet metal hangers thereof.A y 4 Fig. 5 is an enlarged perspective of one of the sheet metal clips thereofprior to being bent over the lower turn 'ofits companion spring.l

A Fig. 6 is anenlarged perspective of va modified form of hanger.` ,v

` Fig. '7 isan enlarged, fragmentary, top plan ;of a modified movable frame bar.

Fig. 8 is a vertical, transverse section thereof `taken on line 8-8, Fig. 7. 50 Fig. 9 is a fragmentary, `horizontal section `through a chair-provided with a modified form of spring suspension.`

Fig.` 10 is a fragmentary, vertical section through av chair provided with another modifie 55 form of spring suspension. 1

inwardly of Said bevel 3|.

My invention may be embodied in various forms 5 l and in furniture spring suspensions of various constructions, and the present applications are therefore to be regarded merely as some of the possible organizations which come withinl the scope of my invention and satisfactorily carry out 105 the function of same in practice. As here shown, and referring for the present to only Figs. l-5, the same is constructed as follows:

It will be assumed, for purposes of illustration, that the invention is to be applied to an ordinary stiff backed four leggedchair. The main frame A of such a chair comprises the vertical rear legs 20, joined together by the horizontal, transverse, rear, frame beam 2| ;-the vertical, front legs22, 22 joined together by the horizontal, 20 transverse, front, frame beam 23 ;-and the horizontal, longitudinal, side, frame beams 24, 24 which connect the front and rear sets of legs.

Arranged at Suitable intervals on the inside of the beams 2|, 23 and 24, 24 are a plurality of 25 sheet metal hangers B. Each of said hangers comprises an upper, horizontal, securing flange 25 which lies upon the upper face of a corn-- panion frame beam and is secured thereto by anail 26 or otherwise. The inner portion of each 30 hanger is bent sharply downward to form a main, vertical, hanger body 21 whichis secured to the inner, vertical surface of its companion frame beam by four nails 28.

Formed integrally with the upper portion of said main body 21 of each hanger B is a vertical hook 30, the rear portion of which projects inwardly at an angle to the main body 21 and terminates in a flat, vertical portion which is parallel to said main body 2'l. The upper, outer 40 end of said hook 3D is bevelledat 3| and said hook is further provided with a notch 32 located Adapted to engage With said notch 32 is a depending, vertical, helical, overload spring 33, the upper eye o f which is conveniently slid into place upon said bevel 3| with said spring under tension, this being its condition While being assembled and after assembly.

The lower end of each hanger B is bent sharply `and horizontally inward to form a pressure flange 34 which is medially cut out at 35. The shape of this cut out portion 35 is illustrated as rectangular, but it will be obvious to those Skilled in the art that this question is merely one of die cost and die maintenance, and that said opening may in said opening 35 and has its lower curled endor eye received within a spring aperture 36 punched or otherwise formed adjacent the outer end of a resilient, movable-frame bar 31. The tension of the overload spring 33 causes said bar 31 to be resiliently urged upwardly toward the lower, flat, horizontal surface of the pressure flange 34.

The upper surface of each bar 31 is covered with a strip of felt or other sound-absorbing material 38, the same having a pair of spring apertures 40 at its opposite ends registering with the spring apertures 35 at the opposite ends of its companion bar 31. This strip of soundabsorbing material 38 has substantially the same form as that of the companion bar 31 which it overles, but preferably extends a short distance beyond the ends of said bar (see Fig. 3) so as to absolutely prevent any metallic contact between the bar 31 or the springs 33 and their companion pressure flanges 34. Lateral displacement of'each of said bars 31 is prevented by the provision of a pair of'lateral guides 4I which are formed integrally with each sheet iron hanger B and are bent vertically downward at the extreme outer edge of the pressure flange 34 thereof.

Within the main frame A of the chairV are arranged two sets of bars-31`which are arranged in the form of rectangular lattice work, i. e., having the one set arranged' at right angles and below the other set. These twosets of bars 31, together'with their appurtenances, constitute a sub or movable frame C. Ateach intersection of and resting upon said bars 31 is a cushion spring 42 1of the conventional helical, hour-glass-shape ype.

Each cushion spring 42' at'its lower end is secured by a pair of clips D at two diametrically opposite points to the underneath one of the companion, crossed bars 31. Each of said clips D (see Fig. 5) is constructed of sheet metal and has a main body portion 43 which is adapted to lie flat against the lower face of said underneath bar 31. Each clip is constructed of a substantiallyv rectangular piece of sheet iron stock which is slit along the lines 44, the corner portions being then turned back to form tongues 45 which, in the assembling operation, are curled around the lower turn of their companion cushion spring 42 in the mannerindicated by the dotted and full lines of Fig. 5. Each pair of clips holds down iirrnly the opposite sides of the lower turn of their companion cushion spring 42, while the intermediate portion of said lower turn of said cushion spring is pressed upwardly by the upper one of the companion pair of crossed bars'31` (see Fig. 2). By this construction the lower turn of said cushion spring is held under tension, so that its connection with the movable frame C is rendered free from objectionablevibration noises, such noises being additionally prevented by the interposition of the sound deadening strips 38 between said cushion spring and its companion pair of metallic crossed bars 31.

The upper ends of the cushion springs are con nectedv (see Fig. 2) by a plurality of centralizing cords 45 in the usual and well known manner, the whole being overlaid by the usual pad and cover (not shown).

The three front cushion springs 42a are arranged somewhat differently from the other cushion springs 42, but this construction is old and does not affect the present invention and hence need not be further described, except to note in passing that said front springs 42a, are mounted directly on the main frame A and are entirely independent of the movable frame C.

All of the bars 31 are constructed of resilient 5 material, the resilience or softness of which is increased by curving each bar at each end at 46 and 41. When a child is sitting upon the chair or if otherwise the load upon any one or more of the cushion springs 42 is relatively small 10 in amount, said cushion springs will yieldingly flex to provide a soft and comfortable spring suspension for such a light load. In such a case substantially no fiexure of the movable frame C occurs and no fiexure whatever of any of the 15 overload springs 33.

If thelocalized pressure upon any one or more of the cushion springs 42 be increased beyond the amount just indicated, the force exerted by sa-id cushion springs 42 will finally become great 20 enough to flex thev bars 31 to a greater or less degree, but without, under these conditions, causing any ilexure of the overload springs 33.

Il?` now the load be increased still more, as for instance by a twohundred pound man suddenly 25 dropping his full weight upon the chair, then, not only will the cushion springs 42 and the bars 31 be more greatly flexed, but a load will have been imposed upon one or more of the overload springs 33 greater than their normal or unexed 3o' load, thereby causing one or more of said overload springs to be stretched beyond the position shown in the drawings and the ends of their companion bars to be depressed.

If the load upon each portion of the spring :si suspension is suciently great then the entire movable frame C is caused to be depressed. During this downward'movement of said frame C the ends of thebars 31 are laterally guided by the lateral guides 4|. If now this very heavy load o be released, the various resilient members (cushion springs 42, resilient bars 31 and overload springs 33) will return to their normal positions as illustrated in the drawings. In this return to normal position there is no noisy contacting of 5- metallic parts. For instance if theV imposed load is suddenly released, the sudden returning" upward of the ends of the bars 31 against the lower face of the pressure ange 34 is rendered noiseless by the sound absorbing material 38. 56

In Fig. 6 is shown a. modified form of overload spring hanger. In this case the lateral guides 4I of Figs. 1-4 are dispensed with, the same being substituted by the upturned lateral guides 4Ia which bear against the lower sides of their com- 55 panion overload spring 33, the bar 31 being thus indirectly guided laterally by the guiding of said overload spring 33 whose lower end is connected with said bar 31. n

Figs. 7 and 8 illustrate a modified and rigid 60 form of bar 31h of special curvilinear cross section, the central portion being provided with a single longitudinal corrugation 48 to provide bending strength, and each of the outer longitudinal edges being provided with a single, sym- 65 metrical, reverse corrugation 49 and flange 50 which provides additional bending strength and also permits said flange 50 to be bent sharply inward at 5I so as to lap over the lower turn of a specially formed cushion spring 42h. Said 7o lower turn of said cushion spring 42h is .preferably, as shown, of elliptical form in plan view and has its medial, longitudinal portions bent in a curve 52 to conform to the medial corrugation 48 of said bar 31h. At 53 the flange 50 is not 75 onlybent over aforesaid lower turn of the cushion spring 42h but is curled partially around said lower turn, thereby preventing longitudinal displacement of said cushion spring.

In Fig. 9 is shown a further modification of the invention. In this case the resilient bars 3lc are formed similarly to the bars 31 of Figs. 1-5, but are not arranged to cross each other, each cushion spring 42 being secured to a pair of parallel bars 31o by a pair of clips Dc each of which is similar to the clip D of Figs. 5, 1 and 2. In this case a double form of hanger Bc is employed, each of said hangers supporting a companion pair of overload springs 33 and a companion pair of bars 31e.

In Figs. 10 and 11 is shown a form of the invention in which no cushion springs at all are used. In this case each resilient bar 31d is given a small bend at 46d and a large radius bend 41d, the latter causing the central part of the bar to be elevated well up above the top of the main frame A. A number of such bars 31d are preferably (though not necessarily) arranged at right angles to each other and secured together by countersunk rivets 53. To have the upper surface of the spring suspension conform more closely with the shape of the main frame A of the furniture, exible ribs 54 are secured to the bars 31d, preferably by the same rivets 53 which secure said bars together. Such a spring suspension requires that each of said bars 37d be not only laterally but also longitudinally guided. This is effected by the provision of a rubbing plate 55 (see Fig. 11) formed integrally with and extending down from the main body of the hanger Bd. This rubbing plate rests against and hence is backed by the vertical, inner face of the frame A. Thus, when its companion bar 31d shifts longitudinally, the end of said bar comes into contact with said rubbing plate 55 backed by the main frame A and any further longitudinal movement is prevented. Such a rubbing plate can be used in any of the other spring suspensions shown in the drawings, but is of no particular value in such cases as the imposed longitudinal forces are there taken 5 care of by the centralizing cords 45, which obviously are not employed in the construction of Figs. 10 and 11, though obviously this may be done if desired. i

I claim as my invention: 10

1. A furniture spring seat comprising: a main frame; a pressure flange secured to said frame;

a bar adapted to support a persons weight; a pair of lateral guides connected with said flange and embracing opposite edges of said bar; and 15 an overload spring resiliently urging said bar toward said ange.

2. A furniture spring seat comprising: a main frame; a hanger secured to said main frame and having an opening; an upper, horizontal, secur- 20 ing ange, a lower horizontal pressure flange, and a hook; a bar disposed below said pressure flange; and an overload spring secured at its upper end to said hook and, at its lower end, passing through said opening and secured to said bar. 25V

3. A furniture spring seat comprising: a main frame; a hanger having a pressure flange and a hook which is bevelled at its outer end; a bar disposed below said pressure flange; and a spring secured to said bar and to said hook inwardly of the bevelled end thereof.

4. A furniture spring seat comprising: a main frame; a hanger having a pressure flange and a hook which is bevelled at its outer end and is provided with a notch located inwardly of said 35 bevelled end; a bar disposed below said pressure ange; and a spring secured to said bar at one end and engaging at its other end with said notch.

CHARLES C. MEUTSCH. 4.0 

